


Take Us Home

by SarahWritesThings



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode: s07e25 Endgame (Star Trek: Voyager), Gen, a bit of romance, alternative universe, condensed episode rewrite, there is no Admiral Janeway, we got a bit of angst, welcome to the end of the show
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-05
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-04-05 06:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19043017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SarahWritesThings/pseuds/SarahWritesThings
Summary: The Voyager Crew was always going to make it home, so what if it was without Admiral Janeway's help?





	1. Nebula

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by the "To the Journey" Podcast (on Trek.fm), and one of their discussions on how else the series could have ended (from about two years ago).

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seven discovers a possible way home.

_“Senior Officers to the Briefing Room.”_

Chakotay looked up from the command console as Tom turned around in his usual spot on the bridge.

“Did I forget a staff meeting again?”

Harry chuckled at Ops, “Not this time, Tom.”

Chakotay rose from his seat. “Seven called the Captain down to Astrometrics about 20 minutes ago, I’m guessing we’re about to be briefed on what she found.”

They all moved into the conference room, Tuvok following stoically as Harry jovially punching Tom on the arm.

“The baby isn’t even here yet and you’re deliriously tired.”

Tom yawned widely, “It’s B’Elanna, she can’t sleep for more than ten minutes at a time, I hate letting her sit in the dark alone.”

Tuvok nodded from his chair. “During her last pregnancy, my wife utilized meditation techniques in order to facilitate relaxation before she slept.”

“You know what Tuvok,” Tom yawned, “can you suggest that to her? I think she might actually take your advice for once. It’s been hell.”

As if summoned, B’Elanna entered the room, following Seven and Kathryn, all buzzing with an indescribable energy.

“Gentleman,” Kathryn addressed them all, moving to her place at the head of the table, “Seven has found something very interesting in that nebula we’re approaching.”

The ex-Borg moved to the conference room display panel, tapping a few buttons of her padd, until the screen beside her showed a displayed a colorful, nebulous cloud.

“This morning long-range sensors picked up high neutrino emissions, originating from the nebula itself. Lieutenant Torres and I worked to improve the readings, due to interference from the nebula. Further analysis of this phenomenon indicates that the nebula must possess a large number or else very powerful stellar phenomenon. Of course, our first hope was that these neutrino emissions indicated the presence of a wormhole, or more likely, based on the intensity of the readings, a large number of wormholes. However, upon further analysis, I believe that the nebula holds something else entirely.”

A single tap of a button changed the view screen to show a rough schematic of a large complex, suspended in space.

Harry, entranced by the engineering wonder, spoke up, “What is it?”

“A transwarp hub.”

Chakotay made a sharp look towards Kathryn. _Transwarp?_

Seven continued, “the Borg have six transwarp hubs across the galaxy. Each hub connects to thousands of conduits, which in turn have apertures in each quadrant. By utilizing these hubs, Borg vessels are able to travel at speeds faster than transwarp.”

“So these hubs,” Tom leaned forward in his seat, “they allow Borg vessels to jump thousands of light-years, and then they use their transwarp drives to finish the trip? No wonder they can cross the galaxy in minutes.”

Tuvok’s tone was emotionless as always, yet full of an urgency, “these conduits create a distinct tactical advantage for the Borg. Presumably the Federation has no way to detect movement through these conduits, or else we were be aware of their presence.”

“That is correct,” Seven nodded, “the conduits move through subspace, but their permanent nature prevents the disruptions that Federation sensors typically detect.”

Chakotay turned to face her. “And are we sure that’s what we have here?”

“Without entering the nebula, we cannot be completely sure. The location of the six hubs are not common knowledge within the Hive mind, though the signature of the radiation would be consistent with a large mechanical complex built with Borg technology.”

“So how do we destroy it?”

“Commander?”

He gestured to the screen, “As Tuvok said, these hubs are a significant tactical advantage, if we could take out one of these hubs, we would be disabling their ability to travel from this area.”

B’Elanna was sat with her arms crossed over her stomach. “Until they rebuilt it, that is.”

Harry looked over at her, “It would still go a long way to protecting the species in this sector from the Borg. We could very likely help prevent thousands of assimilations.”

“Doing to damage to the hub itself would require surviving an assault by hundreds of cubes at once.” Seven moved from the display screen to sit at the table. “With only one ship, it seems unlikely Voyager would do any significant physical damage to the cubes, let alone the main hub.”

“What about damaging their technology rather than doing physical damage?”

B’Elanna smiled slightly, “got anything in mind Harry?”

He leaned forward, “a program designed to disrupt Borg communication, like we used in when we were working with Unimatrix Zero.”

Seven nodded slowly. “Theoretically, significant disruption could lead to physical destruction. When the drones are cubes are no longer able to communicate with the hive mind.”

As Chakotay opened his mouth to respond, he heard Kathryn, finally speaking up from the head of the table, where she had been sat this whole time.

“And how do we use this hub to get home?”

Six heads turned to their Captain, none daring to speak.

She continued, “as far as I’m concerned, we’ve been handed a one-way ticket back to the Alpha Quadrant. I don’t intend on letting this opportunity go to waste.”

Tom, always one of the bravest amongst them, spoke up, “frankly Captain, if there really are a couple thousand Borg cubes inside that nebula, I don’t think we stand a chance on travelling through it.”

Chakotay swiveled, facing Kathryn ever so slightly. “I agree, attacking from the outside would be one thing, but going into the complex?”

“It is unlikely that we would have the fire power.”

Tuvok’s deep tone seemed to jostle Kathryn more than anything else had, she stood suddenly.

“While I admire your realism, I refuse to accept it. I want everybody to think about it. We’ll take the day. Work with each other, by yourselves, with any officers you want to pull, whatever it takes. Until then, Tom, I want you to plot a course that continues to take us towards the nebula, but at slow enough speeds that is won’t seem out of the ordinary.”

She looked about at the faces in front of her, all in various states of confusion and shock.

“I want ideas and plans, but most of all I want _hope_. I have the utmost faith in this crew. We’re going to get home.”

Not waiting for an answer, and refusing to wait for anymore dissonance, Kathryn swept out of the room.

The senior staff turned to Chakotay, looking to him for further guidance.

He looked over the faces of the crew. His friends. His _family_.

But right now he had to be the first officer.

“You heard the Captain. Dismissed.”


	2. Protostar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chakotay and B'Elanna ruminate on the transwarp conduit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone for reading <3

That evening found Chakotay wandering the corridors of Voyager, wondering what to do next. The day had been spent working with the crew, discussing plans and creating plans for the theoretical upgrades that would need to be implemented to make it all happen.

He should be exhausted, but 2100 hours found Chakotay wandering into Main Engineering.

The lower level was bustling with people, more than were usually present at the start of the Beta shift. He spotted B’Elanna, sat at one of the lower deck consoles, staring at the Warp core with a pensive look on her face.

“How’s it going?”

She turned and smiled at him, stretching slightly at the movement. “Seven left not long ago. We’ve been working on it all day on shield modifications. Most of the engineering staff have been helping, and Captain Janeway has been coming in and out all day too. I told the alpha shift to get some rest, or at least some dinner.” She yawned widely. “I have a feeling they’re going to come back in an hour.”

“At least they’re going to leave for a bit. I’m sure a certain Chief Engineer plans on staying all night.”

B’Elanna laughed, “to be fair, the baby has been keeping me up at night anyway, so I might as well be working.”

He leaned against the console. “I heard about that, are you and Tom doing alright?”

“We’re exhausted, but that’s parenthood I guess.”

“Well I’m sure the exhaustion will be a little less noticeable when you have a cute baby to look at.”

She chuckled, tapping a few more buttons on the console, before sitting back in her chair. “You know, Tom and I were talking earlier, I could very likely have this baby at Starfleet Medical.”

“We have to make it home first.” Chakotay could feel the tension creeping into his face.

“Sure, but if there’s anything this crew does well, it’s pulling off crazy schemes.”

He nodded idly, thinking of the flight plan he created with Tom and Harry over lunch earlier that day. “We don’t even have anything set in stone and this is already turning into the most insane thing we’ve ever attempted.”

“What do you think about all this?”

“About what?”

“About Janeway’s plan. You were pretty insistent about attacking the hub, rather than using it.”

He cast his eyes across the busy room. It looked like have the crew was there, working away. “I trust the Captain.”

She shook her head in exasperation, “that’s a politician’s answer if I ever heard it.”

He glared at her, but sighed in resigned agreement, “there’s no point worrying until the Captain’s made the final decision.”

B’Elanna nodded, “any idea what that decision will be?”

“Actually no….the Captain and I….we haven’t been talking as much recently.”

“I’d noticed.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Chakotay snapped at her.

“You two haven’t spent much time together, off duty that is.”

He glared, “I should have known you marrying the biggest gossip on the ship was a bad idea.”

“Don’t forget, he also works with the Doctor three shifts a week. But I think you’re avoiding the topic.”

“Of Kathryn?”

“Yes.”

Chakotay rubbed a hand over his face, Kathryn was always a tricky subject, especially when talking to their subordinate officers.

“Chakotay?”

He looked down at her. “What?”

“How is she doing, really? I think we’ve all noticed she’s been a little…off, lately, and I’m not talking about the rumor mill.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing dramatic,” B’Elanna leaned towards him slightly, “just a comment here, an odd look there. And now she seems pretty hell-bent on getting back to the Alpha Quadrant, more than normal.”

“I noticed that too…I think the idea of home as been weighing on her.”

“Ever since Quarra?” B’Elanna ventured.

“I think so.”

They looked at each other, the memories fresh in each of their minds.

“I think about it too, sometimes.” B’Elanna shook her head. “I think I went opposite of most of the crew. Everyone else left behind what could have been better, or at least easier, life. But I got my husband back. I can’t imagine what it was like for everyone else, especially for the Captain.”

“Did she tell you about Jaffen?”

“A bit. We got chatting over dinner a few weeks ago. She was curious what story they planted in my head to explain being pregnant.”

Chakotay was shocked, Kathryn was a very private person, not prone to emotional discussions with her officers. He thought back to the power plant and that little café.

“She wouldn’t tell me much about him, but I saw them together, on that planet. They could have been happy together. I’m sorry I had to ruin it.”

But B’Elanna frowned at him. “She could have stayed with him, if she wanted to.”

“Stay on the planet?”

“Or bring him with us.”

“She wouldn’t have.”

“No, you’re right,” B’Elanna conceded, her eyes carefully searching Chakotay’s face.

He turned away moving to stand up.

“Chakotay?”

“Kathryn Janeway would do anything for her crew, no matter the cost.”

“Yeah….you’re right about that.”

He could feel her continuing to watch him, felt her wanting to ask more.

“I should get some rest, you too, B’Elanna. There’s always work to be done, but there’s only going to be more after the meeting tomorrow.”

Ask Chakotay walked away, he heard her voice, laced with concern, calling out a quiet ‘goodnight’. But he couldn’t look back.


	3. Main Sequence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew makes a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to post the story all slowly over two weeks but I can't bring myself to do it. I'm too excited to have it finished!

At 0900 the next morning, Voyager’s senior staff sat around the conference room, hands on their coffee mugs and padds in hand. Despite many promises not to, they had all worked through the night, trying to combine ideas and iron out plans.

Chakotay himself had spent the previous eight hours in Navigational Control with Tom and Harry, trying to figure out how to boost sensors inside the nebula. B’Elanna had nearly cried with laughter when she found them all there at breakfast time, bleary eyed and unaware of the time.

As Kathryn rolled into the briefing room, the chatter quieted, and all eyes fell upon their Captain.

“First off, I want to thank you all for the effort you’ve put in. I know you all must be exhausted right now, but I know that work won’t be in vain. What we’ve come up with is good, but I know we can make a perfect plan. We _can_ do this.”

The staff nodded, shuffled and looked to each other.

“Seven, care to bring everyone up to date with the latest plan?”

She nodded, moved to the center of the room and began to talk. But Chakotay found his mind wandering, and his eyes moving to Kathryn.

He noticed the tension in her shoulders. She was sat, as always, but there was something more, resting just behind her eyes. Even as she fixated on Seven, her hands were dancing idly around the base of her coffee mug.

Life on Voyager had never been easy, but the recent months had been relatively calm. With friendly space and only a few near-death experiences? It had practically been a vacation. Apart from the kidnapping at Quarra, most of their time had been spent exploring.

If anything, Kathryn had been in her element, leading away missions and doing scientific analyses with Seven. In the wake of Neelix’s recent absence, Tom had thrown a few parties on the holodeck, and Kathryn had participated with enthusiasm. It had been good to see her relax a bit with the crew, learning to be a friend in addition to a Captain.

And yet she was now fighting her own crew for a way to get home. Yes, getting home had always been her ultimate goal. Chakotay knew she had long since harbored immense guilt for stranding the crew in the Delta Quadrant so long ago, but she had seemed to move past that. She had seen how so many members of the crew were thriving, despite the difficult circumstances. He though she had found some peace with the situation.

It was Kathryn’s voice, next to him at the head of the table, which brought Chakotay out of his thoughts.

“What would give us a better chance of success?”

Seven seemed unusually tense. “It would be best administered from within a Borg vessel, through a direct connection with the hive mind.”

That _program_. He had discussed this with B’Elanna, as they ate breakfast. She and Seven had been working on it all night.

Kathryn crossed her arms. “Why do I hear a ‘but’ coming?”

Seven glanced to B’Elanna, who looked wary. “There would be a low probability of success, provided the goal is to make it through a conduit immediately after administration.”

Chakotay spoke up. “Then we need to administer it remotely.”

Kathryn turned to look at him, her gaze without its usual warmth.

“Alright,” her voice was level, “how would we do that?”

“It would require interfacing with the hive mind.” Seven shifted slightly.

Tom smirked from the end of the table, “we need to hack the Borg.”

“But of course,” B’Elanna elbowed him, “The tricky part is doing this without given the Borg access to our main computer.”

“Can it be done?”

Seven cocked an eyebrow, “of course, Captain.”

After a silent beat, Kathryn stood, looking carefully at her officers.

“Now I want to make one thing clear, if we attempt this, our first priority will be to make it home, is that clear? If we don’t succeed damaging the Collective, our information will be able to be used by Starfleet, at a later date.”

Across the table, Chakotay locked eyes with B’Elanna. She had ever the slightest eyebrow raise directed in his direction, it was the slightest question, but he had no answer.

Kathryn continued, “we’ve been out here for a long time. We’ve been fighting for a long time. We deserve to make it home without any more causalities, so let’s do it.”

She looked around, silently asking for any objections, but her senior staff, as loyal as ever, was ready to deliver on her command.

Kathryn nodded once.

“Dismissed.”

As the senior staff moved out of the room, murmuring to each other and casting last glances over their shoulders, Chakotay moved to stand beside his captain.

She did not look to him, or rest a hand on his chest, as she often did. She looked down, at the padd Seven left behind for her, detailing schematics.

Chakotay spoke gently, “can I interest you in any dinner?”

“What?”

“Dinner, tonight? We’re going to be working all day, we’ll need a break, time to eat.”

She blinked at him. Talking a moment to register his words. “I don’t know…there so much to do.”

“And your best work is always done when you take care of yourself.”

“You’re not going to give this up, are you?” She sighed, no energy in her voice.

“Absolutely not.”

“Fine. 2000 hours?”

“Perfect.”


	4. Red Giant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kathryn and Chakotay have dinner.

As usual, Chakotay entered the Captain’s quarters to find her sitting on the floor, arguing with the replicator.

He smiled as he looked down at her form, hunched over replicator parts. “You know, I’m sure B’Elanna would be happy to come take a look at it.”

“B’Elanna is due to give birth any moment, I’m not going to ask her to traverse three decks just because I can’t do a first-year cadet’s repair.” She blew a piece of hair out her face and glared at the parts in front of her.

“Well in that case, I’ll just get comfortable.” He sat down on the coach, content to watch her work. “With any luck we’ll be home soon, and you can personally recycle the parts. That’ll show it who’s really the boss.”

She glanced over her should, and odd look dancing in her eyes. She seemed to give a slight shake of the head as she turned back to her work. “How’s the crew doing?”

“They’re all exhausted. Most of the Alpha and Beta shits were working all day, with most Gamma shift personal starting early to lend a hand.” Chakotay thought back, “Seven is refusing to leave engineering because ‘she can forgo regeneration for the time being’, but Harry’s keeping an eye on her. Last I saw Tom was threatening to transport B’Elanna back to their quarters to get some rest.”

“It’s a dedicated crew”.

“They certainly are. The entire piloting and security divisions were reporting to B’Elanna for orders. I’ve never seen Ayala so eager to put in an engineering shift.”

“He wants to get home…they all do.” Her voice had a barely discernable waver.

“And if there was ever a crew who could do it, it would be this one.”

He had been looking at the replicator parts, assessing them from afar, but the shift in her body language bad him focus on her back. She was still, stiller than she was when she stared down a hostile alien on the bridge. He could practically feel her muscles, frozen.

“Kathryn?”

She twitched slightly but did not face him. “Do you think this is going to work?”

He forced a joviality into this voice, “the replicator? Probably not.”

“No. This plan.”

Chakotay fought the impulse to move closer. It wasn’t like Kathryn Janeway to question her crew. “We’ve made plenty of crazy plans before, this time is no different. We’ll make it through, we always do.”

“But don’t we seem to be pushing our luck this time?” Her hands resumed their movements of the replicator parts, feeling the metal but not picking any of them up.

“What do you mean?”

“We’re using every ounce on ingenuity to make it through the conduit, and then we’re attempting to take down the Borg at the same time. We have to fail some time, this seems like a pretty good opportunity for it.”

Chakotay took a deep breathe, she obviously needed a calming presence at this moment. “Kathryn…what’s going on? This was all your idea in the first place…”

Now she turned, eyes blazing in a way he couldn’t quite recognize. “Actually, you were the one who wants to fight the Borg, I want to get this crew home.”

“Do you think I don’t want to get back to the Alpha Quadrant?”

She stopped. “Of course not.”

“So where is this coming from?”

For the first time in as long as he had known her, Kathryn looked lost for words. She opened her mouth and closed it again, fighting herself.

“I’m not sure…”

“We all want to get home, but this crew wants to make a stand against the Borg. That’s why we’re out here, because we’ve spent this journey making the tough choices, and making sure to leave a positive impact on this quadrant.”

She threw her head back, laughing without any joy. “Interesting choice of words Chakotay, it was actually my choice.”

Somewhere, a previous conversation felt like it was echoing into her quarters.

“Kathryn…I-”

“I need you to promise me.”

He stared at her, wildly trying to decode exactly what was going on. “Promise you what?”

“No matter what happens,” she took a shuddering breath, “you’re going to get this crew home.”

Slowly, he took a step forward and placed his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t need to promise anything. We’re going to get home. I won’t be surprised if we manage it through _your_ determination alone.”

“ _Chakotay._ ”

“Fine, I promise that, no matter what, _we_ will get this crew home.”

“No matter what happens.”

“No matter what the Delta Quadrant throws our way.”

She looked down at the floor, shaking her head slightly. She seemed to reign herself back in, sliding back into the cool shell she kept ready at all time. “I’m not sure I will actually be able to get this replicator working. After seven years I think I’m finally ready to give up on it.”

“Well with a any luck, this time tomorrow we’ll be orbiting Earth, and you won’t need the replicator anymore.”

A gentle smile crossed her face. “With any luck…”


	5. Supernova

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The crew puts their plan in motion, but the Captain makes one last-minute change.

When he heard the turbolift doors open, Chakotay turned from where he stood with Tuvok, at tactical.

“Are you ready, Captain?”

She let out a small sort of air, coming to stand beside them. “I’ve been ready since 0300.”

He noted the lines on her forehead. “Couldn’t sleep?”

“Something like that.”

“I’m sure you’ve got time for another cup of coffee, before we get started.”

She rested her hands on the tactical console, eyes fixed on the buttons with the slightest of glazes. He leaned closer, “Kathryn? Are you alright?”

She jolted, “Yes…of course.” Turning away she began to make her way to the main platform. “I just received word that B’Elanna’s gone into labor.”

“She has?”

“Yes. Vorik will be in charge of engineering for the time being, Tom’s on his way here now.”

“Should we send Seven down to engineering to lend a hand?”

“No. I want her here, so she can work with Harry and Tuvok.”

He looked at her, trying to read her features, but she refused to make eye contact as she stepped into the very middle of the bridge. Tom entered from the turbolift behind them, and Chakotay watched him take his post.

Duty always came first.

Kathryn looked over to the ops station, “Harry, open a ship-wide announcement.”

“Line open _._ ”

She took a deep breathe.

“This is the Captain speaking. This is the moment we’ve been planning for. Voyager is about to move into the nebula, and with a pinch of luck, make it to the other side safely, and having done a crippling blow to the Borg. I want you to know that serving as your Captain has been an honor, and I couldn’t be more proud of this crew, of each and every one of you. Voyager _will_ make it home, mark my words. Janeway out.”

She gave a sweeping look over the bridge, taking in each crewmember, before moving stand behind Tom at the conn, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Move us into the nebula.”

“Aye Captain.”

All at once, the bridge crew began to move. They were a well-oiled machine, after days of practice for this very mission. Their movements were calculated and rehearsed, with crew members calling out readings and observations. Vorik spoke over the comm, Tuvok gave updates about Borg movements. Chakotay, sat in his command chair, saw the action in his peripheral vision, as his eyes were trained on Kathryn, commanding the crew with just her presence.

She had moved to the side of the conn station now, staring at the readings on the console as her hands gripped the panel. They were white, and the rigidity in her back held her upright.

But Captain Kathryn Janeway never wavered, not when in command. In her ready room, in private, when it was just the two of them, that’s when she paused. Never when the crew was looking to her, relying on her.

He couldn’t look away from the supernova.

Tuvok’s voice cut through the buzz. “Captain, three Borg cubes are approaching our position.”

“Their weapons?”

“Not yet activated, neither are their shields.”

“Time to intercepting the hub?”

Tom called out, “thirty seconds”.

“Good.” Slowly, she turned to look at her chair, her command center, and at Chakotay.

He felt like he was being pulled towards her.

“Chakotay, the ship is yours.”

“Captain?”

“Computer, activate program Janeway Omega.”

Her eyes did not leave his as, in a shimmer of light, she disappeared from the bridge.

And the world exploded.

“Harry, where the hell did she go?”

“The shuttle bay, she’s in a shuttle.”

He ran to face Harry, his hands on the cold metal bar separating them. “Do whatever you need to stop her.”

“I can’t Commander, she’s overriding all my attempts with her command codes. She’s left the ship.”

He spun. “Tractor beam?”

Tuvok’s voice shot across the bridge. “The nebula is destabilizing it, I cannot get a lock.”

Chakotay felt like his head was spinning. She was here then she was gone. Kathryn Janeway had made a plan and acted on it. And he had been powerless to stop her.

“She’s hailing us.”

“Open a channel.”

She appeared, sat at the helm of a type two shuttle, her hands flying over the console as she directed it forward, refusing to look.

_“Your orders are to proceed as planned, I will administer the virus from inside the cube, doing as much damage as I can at the same time. I’ll be transporting aboard the hub any moment.”_

“You don’t have to do this.”

_“Yes, I do. We have to work quickly and proceed according the plan.”_

“Kathryn-”

_“I’m entering the hub. Borg cubes ----- approaching my position. Trac-------- lock------- signal dis-----.”_

Static obscured the image, making it hard to see her face.

“Do you read?”

_“Get th--- home --otay.”_

“Kathryn?”

She disappeared from the screen. His world was replaced with the poisonous green of the nebula and an armada of Borg ready to rip his life apart.

Harry’s voice shook ever so slightly. “The channel has been disrupted.”

“Have you got a lock on her lifesigns?”

“No…”

Seven spoke from behind him, “her shuttle has entered the hub.”

Chakotay stared at the floor, centering himself, then looked up to face the crew, knowing what he had to do. “Take us in Mr. Paris.”

But Harry spoke up again, almost leaping across his console in a panic he had long since grown out of. “Commander I may be able to beam her back.”

“No. There are thousands of cubs, millions of drones. For better or worse, she’s in their hands now.”

“Commander…”

“She’s right. We have to get this crew home. Keep on course.”

Though he could not bring himself to look at the young ensign, he knew that Harry understood.

Chakotay had no plans on saving her, because Kathryn Janeway had made sure she would not make it back.


	6. Black Hole

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Voyager makes it home.

It was truly a testament to the crew Kathryn Janeway had created during their seven years in the Delta Quadrant. Despite the terror and betrayal and shock, they operated with smooth perfection.

It wasn’t easy. They moved through the hub, dodging cubes and phaser fire. There were a thousand times when it should have been the end, but the Voyager crew fought with everything they had.

As they approached their desired conduit, Seven’s cool voice called out, “I’m detecting a disruption in the neuroelectric field. Captain Janeway seems to have been successful is administering the program.”

_She did it._

The thought barely registered in his mind. He forced himself to focus on this last movement, to finish the job at hand. To make it through.

“Steady as we go. Tom, how much farther?”

“A thousand kilometers. Just a minute more.”

“Tuvok?”

“Eight Borg vessels are following us closely, but our upgraded shielding is holding.”

Seven confirmed, “no sign of adaptation.”

The ship rocked as it was hit, each time shaking the souls onboard. Every second the passed felt longer than the last, and yet they held on for dear life, their determination winning out.

Chakotay felt somewhat useless. Tuvok was directing the ship’s weapons fire, Harry and Seven were working to keep the ship in one piece, Tom was flying as their lives all depended on it. And then there was Chakotay, who sat in his command chair, trying to stay out the way while he pushed aside the terror he was feeling.

Tom called out, “We’re at the conduit!”

In an instant, the ship burst through the final border and into the conduit. Phaser fire was replaced with a dark and brooding world, with swirling grey lights encasing everything in sight. Voyager shook with the force of their movement.

“One sphere has entered the conduit with us.”

“They are continuing to fire. Shields are down to sixty percent.”

Chakotay called out, “How far to the exit?”

“30 seconds.”

“Will we be able to stay in front of the sphere?”

“I don’t think so, it’s gaining fast.”

“Then let them catch up.”

Tom glanced over his shoulder, trying to stare him down all the while flying the ship. “Commander?”

“The Queen is going to want to see what technology we have that has let us get through their entire hub. They won’t destroy us, they’ll try to capture us.”

“And then what?”

“And then we detonate one of the upgraded torpedoes from inside the sphere.”

Harry was almost thrown off his feet with the force of “Will that be powerful enough to destroy it?”

“Affirmative,” Seven replied.

Chakotay pulled together every ounce of courage he possessed. “Then let’s do it.”

He watched the view screen as the sphere came closer, looming over Voyager the Grim Reaper it could have easily represented.

Suddenly the ship shuddered as a green tendril reached out and locked onto it.

The eerie light of the Borg circuitry shone down on the ship, basking the bridge in its cold light. The single tractor beam held them, slowly winding them closer, even as their two vessels danced forward together.

Chakotay began, silently, to pray. This hadn’t been part of the plan, but then again nothing had ever gone to plan for Voyager.

He thought of Kathryn, likely a Borg drone by now. Perhaps they were about to be reunited after all.

In a moment, the world stopped moving. There were inside the sphere. Chakotay’s hands gripped the conn, deadly white against the cold grey metal.

“Where are we, Harry?”

“Exactly where we expected to be.”

“Good. Tuvok?”

“Firing.”

The light was blinding, covering the viewscreen in white fog, until no eerie green was left. When it was gone, warm darkness replaced it. The wide, blank expanse of space, dotted with the usual bright white dots, and a smattering of ships. Of Starfleet Starships. The bridge crew was frozen at the sight.

Somehow, Chakotay found the strength to break the silence. “We did it.”

_She did it._

A voice from far, far away. “Commander, we’re being hailed.”

“On screen.”

Admiral Paris’ face filled the viewscreen, shocked.

Chakotay fought the well of emotions deep in his chest. “Sorry to surprise you Admiral, next time we’ll call ahead.”

“Commander Chakotay….where’s Kathryn?”

The question knocked the wind out of him. He fought back a sob, “she’s dead.”

The colour drained from the Admiral’s face. He nodded once.

_Kathryn Janeway would do anything for her crew._

“Make your way to Utopia Planetia, I’ll contact Starfleet Command and we can figure out what to do next.”

“Aye Admiral.”

“And may I be the first to congratulate you all, for making it home.”

_Home._

“Thank you. Voyager out.”

The line was cut, but the silence on the bridge remained. Willing himself to take a deep breath, Chakotay looked slowly around at the crew standing before him.

Tom sat staring at the readings on the helm, as if wishing them to correct themselves, and reveal they were still in the Delta Quadrant after all, lost but whole.

Harry was frozen at ops, his face trained on the screen, where Admiral Paris has disappeared a moment before, and the last place they had seen her face.

Seven eyes were on Chakotay himself. She looked close to tears, willing him to help her understand what had just happened.

And then there was Tuvok. He was as stony-faced as ever, but tension in his shoulders revealed the truth, he was heart-broken to be in a world without her. Chakotay understood how he felt.

He tried, uselessly, to think of something to say. Anything to comfort Kathryn Janeway’s crew. But there were no words, there would never be any words.

 _“Sickbay to the Bridge.”_ Sounds of life filled the bridge as a baby’s gurgles came of the comm.

_“Doctor to Lieutenant Paris, there’s someone here who would like to say ‘Hello’.”_

The world was moving in slow motion, but Tom turned for permission and Chakotay nodded once. He was gone in an instant, leaving yet another empty chair on the bridge.

Unable to stand for a moment longer, Chakotay sat himself in the first officers chair, desperately keeping his mind and sight from the vacant chair to his right. The chair that, even in her absence, held the spirit of the most incredible person he had even known.

The woman who had sacrificed everything to get her crew home.

“Harry, take helm control.”

“Aye sir.”

“Take us home.”


End file.
